Hong Kong graduates could struggle to find work if university English and Chinese language requirements lowered, headhunters say
Recruiters respond to survey of 125 school principals, where three in five respondents supported lowering the basic language requirements for university admissions
Lowering the English and Chinese language requirements for entry into Hong Kong universities will make graduates less competitive in the jobs market, especially compared to international jobseekers, recruiters warned on Monday.
Lancy Chui Yuk-shan, a headhunter for the Greater China region, said many employers prefer hiring candidates with better language skills and jobseekers could use these to set themselves apart from others.
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The senior vice-president of Manpower Group said multinational companies, the banking industry and government were among those that valued language or “communication skills” the most.
Alexa Chow Yee-ping, managing director of AMAC Human Resources Consultants, said her clients had already complained about the Chinese and English standards of recent graduates.
“The situation will be even worse if we were to lower the entry language requirements, as there is not much language training in universities,” she said.
“Graduates from Hong Kong universities have to compete with those studying in overseas universities who have better English and those from the mainland, who have better Mandarin.”